How are you staying cool in the heat?

[Gail 8588]

It seems like many of us are dealing with heat waves from time to time.  We might all benefit from tips each of us have for coping with the heat. 

My house A/C struggles during the stretches  where the daytime high is near 100.  And I know everyone is running their systems to the max. So I worry about my A/C unit breaking, and the local power grid being overwhelmed.   So I have been keeping my A/C on 80 at night and dropping it down to 77 in the afternoon.  I have a small fan that I can move from room to room to blow directly on me to make it feel cooler.  I also have a gadget, sort of a rolled up bandana that has some water retaining beads sewn in, that I can soak in cold water and tie around my neck for some evaporative cooling.  The fan really helps that have the desired effect.  It actually works pretty well to make me feel cool.

My heart goes out to those in Texas that have been without power since Monday due to hurricane Beryl.

[KayC]

My friend lives in TX, she's fortunate that her husband started their generator and got their A/C going again.  Supposed to have four days w/o power.

I have a stand alone A/C and the venting outside came apart during the night, so I had to get up and rehook it back up, took about 1/2 hour, then another couple hours to get back to sleep for too short a time.

I hate doing the heat/massage to my eye during this heat.  Doesn't seem to be helping anyway.  I've also been using a fan when the A/C isn't on.  It helps a lot! But not when it's hot outside.

[widower2]

My A/C upstairs is struggling too, I fear why, but if it's just running and running and not really getting cooler, I turn it up until it stops and stay downstairs. 

I've also started drinking my beer colder.   And eating less hot meals, more salads etc.

 

[Rey Dominguez Jr]

Our friend in Pearland, TX, south of Houston, reported they got power back today.  She has been cleaning tree branches and debris from around her home, and a fence got blown over.  She is the friend Veronica and I went to visit in Nov 2022 for her husband’s memorial, my submarine service brother.  

Interesting data point about the Houston area: turns out anyone who had a Whataburger app on their phone could track power outages by looking at which locations were orange (power on) or Gary in color (no power).  

[KayC]

It was 90 here yesterday, so much for lower 80s they predicted.

Rey, that is hopeful if someplace got their power back!

[foreverhis]

Here's my smarty pants answer:  I cope with it by living in a place where we rarely have that kind of heat.  Not never, that's for sure, but hot spells (90-100) are rare and usually no longer than 3 days.  The autumn Santa Ana and Santa Lucia winds from the east warm us considerably.

I've mentioned our nano climates.  Last week, we had the largest summer temperature differential ever recorded:  Our high near the water was 56 degrees; inland 15 miles and "over the hill" was 115.  We've had summer differentials of 40 degrees for decades, but this was unprecedented.  I have to admit it bugs me when anyone says, "See?  It's getting colder where you are.  There's no global warming."  Hello?  It's colder here because it's hotter inland every year and that draws in the strong marine layer with fog and wind.

On the flip side, we're warmer in the winter.  We can be sunny and mid 70s in December while over the hill the high will be 42.  We live for the sunny, warm autumn and winter times.  While everyone else is dragging out the heavy clothes, we're in shorts and t-shirts and at the beach.  The Pacific waters here are quite cold all year, so only visitors, surfers in wetsuits, and children brave it.  But it's sure nice to go beach combing in January in the warm sun.

[KayC]

So jealous!

[WithoutHer]

1 minute ago, KayC said:

So jealous!

Me too. The child in me wants to stick my tongue out and say brat. 😜

[widower2]

4 hours ago, foreverhis said:

Here's my smarty pants answer:  I cope with it by living in a place where we rarely have that kind of heat.  Not never, that's for sure, but hot spells (90-100) are rare and usually no longer than 3 days.  The autumn Santa Ana and Santa Lucia winds from the east warm us considerably.

I've mentioned our nano climates.  Last week, we had the largest summer temperature differential ever recorded:  Our high near the water was 56 degrees; inland 15 miles and "over the hill" was 115.  We've had summer differentials of 40 degrees for decades, but this was unprecedented.  I have to admit it bugs me when anyone says, "See?  It's getting colder where you are.  There's no global warming."  Hello?  It's colder here because it's hotter inland every year and that draws in the strong marine layer with fog and wind.

On the flip side, we're warmer in the winter.  We can be sunny and mid 70s in December while over the hill the high will be 42.  We live for the sunny, warm autumn and winter times.  While everyone else is dragging out the heavy clothes, we're in shorts and t-shirts and at the beach.  The Pacific waters here are quite cold all year, so only visitors, surfers in wetsuits, and children brave it.  But it's sure nice to go beach combing in January in the warm sun.

PHLBLBLBLBLBLTTTTTT!

 

 

Actually extreme heat like this isn't the norm here...oh it gets warm and quite humid, but we usually have at most a brief spell or two of really over-the-top hot weather. But this year has been crazy....

[Gail 8588]

My grand kids love playing in their 10' by 5' inflatable swimming pool. ($15 at Walmart).  I am tempted to get one for myself in a shaded part of my backyard.  My cover story would be that it's  for the grand kids, but I can see me just lounging in it with a cold drink and some music playing, maybe an audible book.

[KayC]

2 hours ago, widower2 said:

PHLBLBLBLBLBLTTTTTT!

 

 

Actually extreme heat like this isn't the norm here...oh it gets warm and quite humid, but we usually have at most a brief spell or two of really over-the-top hot weather. But this year has been crazy....

It is way hotter for long duration than we are used to!

[Roxeanne]

It's crazy weather here too...in Paris it was cold, i was on tour Eiffel and the wind blew like on the mountains! I had to put on my jacket...meanwhile in Milan there was a storm with hail like eggs! Now we have the first moderate heat wave of the summer...good for the kids who saw Tailor Swift in concert in the last two days in Milan!

[Rey Dominguez Jr]

Sort of echoing FoerverHis, in Sandy Eggo, we have had some “warm” days of upper 80’s/lowwr 90’s inland while the cost is in the mid to high 70’s.  On the other side of the mountains to the east we’re seeing desert temps in the 100’s.  Weather reports tonight spoke of rain in the mountains.  Was pleasant and breezy today.  Our house faces west so we get a constant breeze from the ocean.  I just open the doors and crack open the windows and we can air out the house, along with ceiling fans to keep cool.  But as ForeverHis points out, the hot dry Santa Ana winds blowing from the east from time to time can be brutal.  

[KayC]

San Diego, beautiful, I remember when I visited and we went out on the water, it is a beautiful place, moderate temperature.

[foreverhis]

The thing is that we have times throughout the late spring to early autumn when we don’t see the sun for weeks. We even have names for those months: May Gray, June Gloom, No Sky July, and Fog-ust.

It can get dreary and depressing. It’s a joke-but-not-a-joke that inlanders come here to cool off for a while and we head inland to warm up.  In the last 8 weeks we’ve had maybe 10 truly nice days (sunny, not too windy, mid 70s). I guess no matter where we live, we can always complain about the weather.😉

[foreverhis]

15 hours ago, Gail 8588 said:

My grand kids love playing in their 10' by 5' inflatable swimming pool. ($15 at Walmart).  I am tempted to get one for myself in a shaded part of my backyard.  My cover story would be that it's  for the grand kids, but I can see me just lounging in it with a cold drink and some music playing, maybe an audible book.

IMO, no cover story needed at our age! Go for it and let others envy your fabulous self enjoying cool water, a cold beverage, and a good book.

[widower2]

We're hitting 100 today and tomorrow. Not 100 heat index, just flat 100. ugh. Then finally it's supposed to be back around upper 80s for awhile...

[WithoutHer]

24 minutes ago, widower2 said:

We're hitting 100 today and tomorrow. Not 100 heat index, just flat 100. ugh. Then finally it's supposed to be back around upper 80s for awhile...

Same here. West Central Maryland. A short but hard shower just passed through. Raised the humidity and made it feel more miserable.

[KayC]

90s here. I didn't think about that, have been envying you all your rain, but you are right, it'd just raise the humidity!

[Bou]

On 7/14/2024 at 4:07 PM, foreverhis said:

Here's my smarty pants answer:  I cope with it by living in a place where we rarely have that kind of heat.  Not never, that's for sure, but hot spells (90-100) are rare and usually no longer than 3 days.  The autumn Santa Ana and Santa Lucia winds from the east warm us considerably.

I've mentioned our nano climates.  Last week, we had the largest summer temperature differential ever recorded:  Our high near the water was 56 degrees; inland 15 miles and "over the hill" was 115.  We've had summer differentials of 40 degrees for decades, but this was unprecedented.  I have to admit it bugs me when anyone says, "See?  It's getting colder where you are.  There's no global warming."  Hello?  It's colder here because it's hotter inland every year and that draws in the strong marine layer with fog and wind.

On the flip side, we're warmer in the winter.  We can be sunny and mid 70s in December while over the hill the high will be 42.  We live for the sunny, warm autumn and winter times.  While everyone else is dragging out the heavy clothes, we're in shorts and t-shirts and at the beach.  The Pacific waters here are quite cold all year, so only visitors, surfers in wetsuits, and children brave it.  But it's sure nice to go beach combing in January in the warm sun.

When the temp changes so drastically I always think earthquakes are coming.  Those plates like to shift in big temp changes.  

On 7/15/2024 at 2:39 AM, Roxeanne said:

It's crazy weather here too...in Paris it was cold, i was on tour Eiffel and the wind blew like on the mountains! I had to put on my jacket...meanwhile in Milan there was a storm with hail like eggs! Now we have the first moderate heat wave of the summer...good for the kids who saw Tailor Swift in concert in the last two days in Milan!

how fun to live in Paris.  Taylor Swift.... I would love to see her in concert.  

[Bou]

On 7/15/2024 at 7:00 AM, KayC said:

San Diego, beautiful, I remember when I visited and we went out on the water, it is a beautiful place, moderate temperature.

I have been there once.  The heat is a dry heat.  I loved it.  It was beautiful.  I love that you have Swap meets there....we call them flea markets here. 

[Bou]

Tips for beating the heat

I keep the ac running during the day for my business but as soon as I am done working I shut that sucker off.  Make sure to keep your ac vents cleaned.  

quick cool showers

wet towel sometimes wrap ice in it around my neck

go swimming, camp pool or hit a lake....  the pool has been like bath water.

at night I run a fan only if I can't stand it ( been watching my electrical usage)   on hot hot can't stand it nights wet your top sheet under the sink and wring out, to cool off.  I don't like having nothing on me at night.  I at least need a sheet.  

popsicles, ice cream, ice water and keeping hydrated.  I bought a tall starbucks tumbler that I fill with ice then the rest water.  This has been working out for me well. I eyed that thing for a long time before getting it.  Will I use it?  Do I need it?  It is a want or a need?  Finally broke down and bought it and I  have been using it and love it.  They sell all kinds of them and for months I had my eye on one.  Glad I did it.  I really love it.  I probably will get another one at some point.  They also have knock offs all over the place that are cheaper.  I am not against those at all  I just had my eye on a certain one.  I love starbucks.  I hate the price but I do love starbucks.  Once in a while I will get a refresher.  Those are nice on hot days. 

I have portable battery operated fans that I take from room to room.  I got two good top quality ones on my quest for tools phase.  Glad I did.

I don't do a lot.  I shift things down a notch and relax, make sandwiches for meals instead of hot dinners.  Honestly I don't cook on those type of days and get something out Subway, or some such.   

These are the little things that work for me in the heat.  

[widower2]

In this area at least the highs will be high 80s for awhile. Finally!

[Rey Dominguez Jr]

The really hot months for us in Sandy Eggo are September and October, with inland temps hitting the 100’s.  Not sure why those two months, but we can be hot and dry, or hot and humid, with storm clouds in the east past the mountains.  Then the weather cools in late October.

[KayC]

Oddly enough the temps went down with the fire as the smoke filled the sky and kept the sun's heat at bay, but now with the fire abutting my property, who knows?  We got gone last night after it jumped the containment line.

[Bou]

3 hours ago, KayC said:

Oddly enough the temps went down with the fire as the smoke filled the sky and kept the sun's heat at bay, but now with the fire abutting my property, who knows?  We got gone last night after it jumped the containment line.

must be very scary.  Where do you go?  What do you take with you?  I will keep you in my thoughts that you do not lose your home

[KayC]

Thank you, my feral (outdoor only) cat will NOT be trapped or contained so have to leave him. I hid a big pan of food and water from the skunks and showed Panther where it is.  He takes good care of himself, I saw that when he's had wounds or when the bear came after him.

I take Kodie, myself, a week's worth of clothes, briefcase w/laptop, chargers, some of Kodie's toys and food, Rxs, food, they will shut the electricity off.  Am hoping my freezer does not lose food.